Geolocationing System and Method for Use of Same

ABSTRACT

A geolocationing system and method for providing awareness in a multi-space environment, such as a hospitality environment or educational environment, are presented. In one embodiment of the geolocationing system, a vertical and horizontal array of gateway devices is provided. Each gateway device includes a gateway device identification providing an accurately-known fixed location within the multi-space environment. Each gateway device includes a wireless transceiver that receives a beacon signal from a proximate wireless-enabled personal locator device. The gateway devices, in turn, send gateway signals to a server, which determines estimated location of the wireless-enabled personal locator device.

PRIORITY STATEMENT & CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from co-pending U.S. Patent ApplicationSer. No. 62/787,785 entitled “Geolocationing System and Method for Useof Same” filed on Jan. 3, 2019, in the name of William C. Fang; which ishereby incorporated by reference for all purposes. This application isalso a continuation-in-part of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser.No. 16/201,783 entitled “Set-Top Box, System and Method for ProvidingAwareness in a Hospitality Environment” filed on Nov. 27, 2018, in thenames of Vanessa Ogle et al.; which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/652,622 entitled “Set-Top Box, System and Methodfor Providing Awareness in a Hospitality Environment” filed on Jul. 18,2017, in the names of Vanessa Ogle et al., now U.S. Pat. No. 10,142,662issued on Nov. 27, 2018; which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/165,851 entitled “Set-Top Box, System and Methodfor Providing Awareness in a Hospitality Environment” filed on May 26,2016, in the names of Vanessa Ogle et al., now U.S. Pat. No. 9,712,872issued on Jul. 18, 2017; which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/461,479 entitled “Set-Top Box, System and Methodfor Providing Awareness in a Hospitality Environment” filed on Aug. 18,2014, in the names of Vanessa Ogle et al., now U.S. Pat. No. 9,357,254issued on May 31, 2016; which claims priority from U.S. PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/935,862 entitled “System and Method forProviding Awareness in a Hospitality Environment” and filed on Feb. 5,2014, in the name of Vanessa Ogle; all of which are hereby incorporatedby reference, in entirety, for all purposes.

This application discloses subject matter related to the subject matterdisclosed in the following commonly owned, co-pending applications: (1)U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ entitled “Geolocationing Systemand Method for Use of Same” and filed on ______, in the name of WilliamC. Fang.; which claims priority from U.S. Patent Application No.62/787,785 entitled “Geolocationing System and Method for Use of Same”and filed on Jan. 3, 2019 in the name of William C. Fang; (2) U.S.patent application Ser. No. ______ entitled “Geolocationing System andMethod for Use of Same” and filed on ______, in the name of William C.Fang.; which claims priority from U.S. Patent Application No. 62/787,785entitled “Geolocationing System and Method for Use of Same” and filed onJan. 3, 2019 in the name of William C. Fang; and (3) U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. ______ entitled “Geolocationing System and Methodfor Use of Same” and filed on ______, in the name of William C. Fang.;which claims priority from U.S. Patent Application No. 62/787,785entitled “Geolocationing System and Method for Use of Same” and filed onJan. 3, 2019 in the name of William C. Fang; all of which are herebyincorporated by reference, in entirety, for all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates, in general, to geolocationing and, inparticular, to enhanced performance in systems and methods for providingawareness and safety in a multi-room environment such as a hospitalityenvironment, educational environment, or the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Without limiting the scope of the present invention, the background willbe described in relation to employee safety in hospitality environments,as an example. Employees face increased personal security risks at workin multi-room environments such as hospitality environments, whichinclude motels, hotels, and the like, for example. Such hospitalityindustry employees often work alone and range over large interior areasthat may be divided into many small, closed spaces. As a result oflimited existing security measures, there is a need for improved systemsand methods of providing awareness and safety in hospitalityenvironments.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It would be advantageous to achieve systems and methods for providinggeolocationing in a multi-room environment such as a hospitalityenvironment, educational environment, or the like that would improveupon existing limitations in functionality. It would be desirable toenable an electrical engineering-based and software solution that wouldprovide enhanced awareness and safety in an easy-to-use platform in thehospitality lodging industry or in another environment. To betteraddress one or more of these concerns, a geolocationing system andmethod for use of the same are disclosed.

In one embodiment of the geolocationing system, a vertical andhorizontal array of gateway devices is provided. Each gateway deviceincludes a gateway device identification providing an accurately-knownfixed location within the multi-space environment. Each gateway deviceincludes a wireless transceiver that receives a beacon signal from aproximate wireless-enabled personal locator device. The gateway devices,in turn, send gateway signals to a server, which determine estimatedlocation of the wireless-enabled personal location. These and otheraspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated withreference to the embodiments described hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the features and advantages of thepresent invention, reference is now made to the detailed description ofthe invention along with the accompanying figures in which correspondingnumerals in the different figures refer to corresponding parts and inwhich:

FIG. 1A is schematic building diagram depicting one embodiment of ageolocationing system for providing awareness in a multi-roomenvironment illustrated as a hotel, according to the teachings presentedherein;

FIG. 1B is a schematic floor plan depicting a floor of the hotelpresented in FIG. 1A in further detail;

FIG. 1C is a schematic floor plan depicting a floor of the hotelpresented in FIG. 1A during an alert event;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram depicting one embodiment of thegeolocationing system presented in FIG. 1A providing enhanced awarenessand safety functionality therewith according to the teachings presentedherein;

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram depicting one embodiment of apersonal location device depicted in FIG. 2 in further detail;

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram depicting another embodiment of apersonal location device depicted in FIG. 2 in further detail;

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram depicting one embodiment of agateway device, a set-top box, presented in FIG. 1A;

FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram depicting one embodiment of agateway device, a gateway service device, presented in FIG. 1A;

FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram depicting one embodiment of a localserver presented in FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram depicting one embodiment of aremote server presented in FIG. 2;

FIG. 9A is a data processing diagram depicting one embodiment of thegeolocationing system according to the teachings presented herein;

FIG. 9B is a schematic diagram depicting one embodiment of thegeolocationing system presented in FIG. 8A;

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram depicting one embodiment of theoperational modes of the local server and remote server; and

FIG. 11 is a flow chart depicting one embodiment of a method forproviding a gateway device furnishing enhanced safety according to theteachings presented herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While the making and using of various embodiments of the presentinvention are discussed in detail below, it should be appreciated thatthe present invention provides many applicable inventive concepts, whichcan be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specificembodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative of specific ways tomake and use the invention, and do not delimit the scope of the presentinvention.

Referring initially to FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C and 2, therein is depicted ageolocationing system for providing awareness in a multi-spaceenvironment such as a hospitality environment, which may be embodied asa furnished multi-family residence, dormitory, lodging establishment,hotel, hospital, which is schematically illustrated and designated 10.The multi-space environment may also be a multi-unit environment such asan educational environment like a school or college campus, for example.More generally, the geolocationing system 10 and the teachings presentedherein are applicable to any multi-space environment includinghospitality environments, educational campuses, hospital campuses,office buildings, multi-unit dwellings, sport facilities and shoppingmalls, for example.

As shown, by way of example and not by way of limitation, themulti-space environment is depicted as a hotel H having a lobby andfloors F, which are appropriately labeled the 2^(nd) floor through the10^(th) floor. Further, by way of example, the 4^(th) floor is depictedwith rooms 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, 406, 407, 411, 412, 413, 414, 415,416, and 417. Additionally, a common area near the elevators is labeledE, a hallway labeled P, and a stairwell is labeled S. The lobby, thecommon area E, the hallway P, and the stairwell S are furtherillustrations of spaces in the multi-space environment in addition tothe rooms.

Gateway devices 12 are deployed as part of a horizontal and verticalarray, which is generally a spatial array, throughout the hotel H. Itshould be appreciated, however, that the gateway devices 12 and moregenerally deployment of the system 10 may include a horizontal array.Further, the deployment may be in a single story, multiple stories, or acombination thereof. As will be discussed in further detail hereinbelow,the gateway devices 12 may include set-top boxes 14, gateway servicedevices 16, or common space gateway devices 18.

Individuals, such as I₁, I₂, I₃, carry proximate wireless-enabledpersonal locator devices 20 which periodically, or on demand, transmitbeacons that are received by a gateway device 12. The proximatewireless-enabled personal locator devices 20 may be a single buttonpersonal locator device or a proximate wireless-enabled interactiveprogrammable device, such as a smart watch, a smart phone, or a tabletcomputer, for example. In one embodiment, the proximate wireless-enabledinteractive programmable device 20 may be a wireless-enabled smart andinteractive handheld device that may be supplied or carried by the useror guest. As shown individual I₁ works in the hospitality industry athotel H and is presently working on the 4^(th) floor. As the individualI₁ is working in room 404, the personal locator device 20 istransmitting beacons B that are received by gateway devices 12, such asthe set-top box 14 that is located within the room 404 and the gatewayservice device 16 located in hallway P on the 4^(th) floor of the hotelH.

As shown, the gateway device 12 in the room 404 is a set-top box 14,which may be connected to an electronic visual display device such as adisplay or television. The set-top box 14 may be an informationappliance device that generally contains a TV-tuner as well as contentinput and display outputs. The set-top box 14 may be communicativelydisposed with various amenities associated with the multi-spaceenvironment H as well as the system 10 providing a geolocation andsafety network. The gateway device 12 in the hallway P of the 4^(th)floor is a gateway service device 16 and a common space gateway deviceis also in the hallway of the 4^(th) floor. The gateway service device16 may be communicatively disposed with various amenities associatedwith the multi-space environment H as well as the system 10 providingthe geolocation and safety network. The common space gateway device 18may include a limited set of functionalities as compared to the gatewayservice device 16. The limited functionality, however, includesconnectivity to the system 10 providing the geolocation and safetynetwork. Gateway devices, like the gateway device 12, including theset-top box 14, the gateway service device 16, and the common spacegateway device 18 may be deployed throughout the spaces, rooms, andother areas of the hotel H or multi-space environment.

As mentioned, each of the gateway devices 12, including the set-topboxes 14, the gateway service devices 16, and the common space gatewaydevices 18, have a data link via a network 30 to a server 32 which isproviding a geolocation and safety network. In one implementation, anindividual 12 has the proximate wireless-enabled personal locator device20, which may transmit a beacon signal B from the personal locatordevice 20 using a wireless standard such as Wi-Fi to the gateway devices12. Each of the gateway devices 12, including the set-top box 14 and thegateway service device 16, then processes the received beacon signal Band sends a gateway signal to the local server 32 or the remote server36 by way of networks 30, 34. Under normal conditions, the beaconsignals B and the gateway signals are sent to the remote server 36,which may be a cloud-based server. In this embodiment, the local server32 may act as a monitoring station to notify an operator about thetriggered alert and informing the operator about the alert condition.However, in the event of no connection to the remote server 36, such asduring a period of time with no internet connectivity, the local server32 assumes the responsibilities of the remote server 36. For purposes ofillustration, the current embodiment described will consider anoperational remote server 36.

The remote server 36 receives the gateway signals and uses multiplegateway signals for determining the estimated location of the proximatewireless-enabled personal locator device 20 of the individual 12. Theremote server 36, in turn, sends out the appropriate notifications tovarious phones, activates alarms, or notify others via a computer,depending on the situation, as shown by element 38. As a spatial arrayof horizontal and vertical gateway devices 12 are provided, the remoteserver 36 and system 10 presented herein is able to determine thelocation of the individual associated with the proximatewireless-enabled personal locator device 20 within a building. Asparticularly illustrated in FIGS. 1C and 2, the individual is in need ofemergency assistance and activates the proximate wireless-enabledpersonal location device 20. In one implementation, beacon signals B arereceived by all nearby gateway devices 12, which in turn forward gatewaysignals to the remote server 36 for processing and determining theestimated location. The estimated location includes which floor F theindividual is presently located as well as the room or common area E andthe presence of a status or an alarm, such as Alarm A. In oneembodiment, this information may be generated by the remote server 36(or the local server 32) in the form of a map view 24, which includes agraphical representation of the multi-space environment that isannotated with the estimated location of the proximate wireless-enabledpersonal locator device 20. Further, the map view 24 includes anindication of the space in the form of an identification (e.g., Room404) and status 25 (e.g., Alert) as well as one or more video feeds 26,28 provided by cameras that are identified near the estimated locationof the proximate wireless-enabled personal locator device 20. The mapview 24 may be updated as the proximate wireless-enabled personallocator device 20 moves and corresponding audio and visualcommunications need to be adjusted too. In the illustrated example, acamera in the hallway and a camera within the Room 404 are activated.Further, as shown by audio input A_(I) and audio output A_(O), one ortwo-way audio communication may be established with a nearby gatewaydevice or the proximate wireless-enabled personal locator device 20.

In the systems presented herein, the video and audio may be activated inresponse to an alert 25 being triggered. Once the system 10 identifiesthe estimated location of the alert 25, the audio and video feeds fromnear the estimated location may be displayed at the local server 32 oranother location. Alternatively, in public locations, the audio and/orvideo feeds may be ON continuously.

Referring to FIG. 3, the proximate wireless-enabled interactiveprogrammable device 20 may be a wireless communication device of thetype including various fixed, mobile, and/or portable devices. To expandrather the limit the previous discussion of the programmable device 20,such devices may include, but are not limited to, cellular or mobiletelephones, two-way radios, personal digital assistants, digital musicplayers, Global Positioning System units, tablet computers,smartwatches, and so forth. The programmable device 20 may include aprocessor 40, memory 42, storage 44, and a transceiver 46 interconnectedby a busing architecture 48 that also supports a display 50, I/O panel52, and a camera 54. It should be appreciated that although a particulararchitecture is explained, other designs and layouts are within theteachings presented herein.

In operation, the teachings presented herein permit a proximatewireless-enabled interactive programmable device 20 such as a smartphone or simple transmitter to communicate with a set-top box 14 that isable to relay an alert 25 with location information to a server andsecurity or other individuals needing to know about the emergency. Inone operational embodiment being described, the proximatewireless-enabled interactive programmable device 20 may be “paired” on atemporary basis to the set top/back box on a room-by-room basis, wherebythe pairing changes as the hospitality employee's location changes. Asshown, the proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device 20includes the memory 42 accessible to the processor 40 and the memory 42includes processor-executable instructions that, when executed, causethe processor 40 to send beacon signals B. The proximatewireless-enabled interactive programmable device 20 may on-demand orperiodically transmit the beacon signal B including a data packet havingthe programmable device identification, as well as a mode of operationidentification.

Referring to FIG. 4, with respect to the simplified proximatewireless-enabled interactive programmable device 20, a processor 60,memory 62, storage 64, and a transceiver 66 are supported by aninterconnected busing architecture 68. An emergency button 70 providesthe activation that triggers the alert 25. As shown, the proximatewireless-enabled interactive programmable device includes the memory 62accessible to the processor 60 and the memory 62 includesprocessor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause theprocessor 60 to send beacon signals B. The proximate wireless-enabledinteractive programmable device 20 may on-demand or periodicallytransmit the beacon signal B including a data packet having theprogrammable device identification as well as a mode of operationidentification. In one embodiment, responsive to the activation of theemergency button 70, the proximate wireless-enabled interactiveprogrammable device 20 immediately transmits a beacon signal B includinga data packet having the programmable device identification as well as amode of operation identification, i.e., an emergency alert.

Referring to FIG. 5, as used herein, set-top boxes, back boxes andset-top/back boxes may be discussed as set-top boxes. By way of example,the set-top box 14 may be a set-top unit that is an informationappliance device that generally contains set-top box functionalityincluding having a television-tuner input and displays output through aconnection to a display or television set and an external source ofsignal, turning by way of tuning the source signal into content in aform that can then be displayed on the television screen or otherdisplay device. Such set-top boxes are used in cable television,satellite television, and over-the-air television systems, for example.

The set-top box 14 includes a processor 80, memory 82, storage 84, andone or more transceivers 86 interconnected by a bus architecture 88within a mounting architecture that supports inputs 90 and outputs 92.It should be understood that the processor 80, the memory 82, thestorage 84, the inputs 90, and the outputs 92 may be entirely containedwithin the housing or the housing-dongle combination. The processor 80may process instructions for execution within the computing device,including instructions stored in the memory 82 or in storage 84. Thememory 82 stores information within the computing device. In oneimplementation, the memory 82 is a volatile memory unit or units. Inanother implementation, the memory 82 is a non-volatile memory unit orunits. Storage 84 provides capacity that is capable of providing massstorage for the set-top box 14. Various inputs 90 and outputs 92 provideconnections to and from the computing device, wherein the inputs 90 arethe signals or data received by the set-top box 14, and the outputs 92are the signals or data sent from the set-top box 14. A televisioncontent signal input and a television output 96 are also secured in thehousing in order to receive content from a source and forward thecontent, including external content such as cable and satellite andpay-per-view (PPV) programming, to the display.

The one or more transceivers 86 are associated with the set-top box 14and communicatively disposed with the bus architecture 88. As shown, thetransceivers 86 may be internal, external, or a combination thereof tothe housing. Further, the transceivers 86 may be a transmitter/receiver,receiver, or an antenna for example. Communication between variousdevices and the set-top box 14 may be enabled by a variety of wirelessmethodologies employed by the transceivers 86, including 802.11, 3G, 4G,Edge, WiFi, ZigBee, near field communications (NFC), Bluetooth lowenergy and Bluetooth, for example. Also, infrared (IR) may be utilized.

The memory 82 and storage 84 are accessible to the processor 80 andinclude processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause theprocessor 80 to execute a series of operations. With respect to theprocessor-executable instructions, the processor is caused to receiveand process a beacon signal including a personal location deviceidentification. More particularly, the processor-executable instructionscause the processor 80 to receive a beacon signal B via the wirelesstransceiver from a proximate wireless-enabled personal locator device20. The processor-executable instructions then cause the processor 80 tomeasure received signal characteristic of the beacon signal. Theinstructions may then cause the processor 80 to generate a gatewaysignal including the personal location device identification, a gatewaydevice identification, and signal characteristics indicator, includingreceived signal characteristic. Finally, the instructions may cause theprocessor 80 to send the gateway signal to the server 32.

Referring to FIG. 6, the gateway device 12 may be a set-top unit that isan information appliance device that does not include television-tunerfunctionality and generally contains convenience and safetyfunctionality. The gateway service device 16 includes a processor 100,memory 102, storage 104, and transceivers 106 interconnected by a busarchitecture 108 within a mounting architecture that supports inputs 110and outputs 112. The processor 100 may process instructions forexecution within the computing device, including instructions stored inthe memory 102 or in storage 104. The memory 102 stores informationwithin the computing device. In one implementation, the memory 102 is avolatile memory unit or units. In another implementation, the memory 102is a non-volatile memory unit or units. Storage 104 provides capacitythat is capable of providing mass storage for the gateway device 12.Various inputs 110 and outputs 112 provide connections to and from thecomputing device, wherein the inputs 110 are the signals or datareceived by the gateway device 12, and the outputs 112 are the signalsor data sent from the gateway device 12.

One or more transceivers 106 may be associated with the gateway device12 and communicatively disposed with the bus 108. The transceivers 106may be internal, external, or a combination thereof to the housing.Further, the transceivers 106 may be a transmitter/receiver, receiver,or an antenna for example. Communication between various amenities inthe hotel room and the gateway device 12 may be enabled by a variety ofwireless methodologies employed by the transceivers 106, including802.11, 802.15, 802.15.4, 3G, 4G, Edge, Wi-Fi, ZigBee, near fieldcommunications (NFC), Bluetooth low energy and Bluetooth, for example.Also, infrared (IR) may be utilized.

The memory 102 and storage 104 are accessible to the processor 100 andinclude processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause theprocessor 100 to execute a series of operations. With respect to theprocessor-executable instructions, the processor 100 is caused toreceive and process a beacon signal B including a personal locationdevice identification. More particularly, the processor-executableinstructions cause the processor 100 to receive a beacon signal B viathe wireless transceiver from a proximate wireless-enabled personallocator device 20. The processor-executable instructions then cause theprocessor 100 to measure a received signal characteristic of the beaconsignal B. The instructions may then cause the processor 100 to generatea gateway signal including the personal location device identification,a gateway device identification, and signal characteristics indicator.Finally, the instructions may cause the processor 100 to send thegateway signal to the server 32.

Referring now to FIG. 7, one embodiment of the local server 32 as acomputing device includes a processor 120, memory 122, storage 124, andone or more network adapters 126 interconnected with various buses 128in a common or distributed, for example, mounting architecture, thatsupports inputs 130 and outputs 132. In other implementations, in thecomputing device, multiple processors and/or multiple buses may be used,as appropriate, along with multiple memories and types of memory.Further still, in other implementations, multiple computing devices maybe provided and operations distributed therebetween. The processor 120may process instructions for execution within the local server 32,including instructions stored in the memory 122 or in storage 124. Thememory 122 stores information within the computing device. In oneimplementation, the memory 122 is a volatile memory unit or units. Inanother implementation, the memory 122 is a non-volatile memory unit orunits. Storage 124 includes capacity that is capable of providing massstorage for the local server 32. The various inputs 130 and outputs 132provide connections to and from the local server 32, wherein the inputs130 are the signals or data received by the local server 32, and theoutputs 132 are the signals or data sent from the local server 32. Thenetwork adaptors 126 couples the local server 32 to a network such thatthe local server 32 may be part of a network of computers, a local areanetwork (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), an intranet, a network ofnetworks, or the Internet, for example.

The memory 122 and storage 124 are accessible to the processor 120 andinclude processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause theprocessor 120 to execute a series of operations. In one embodiment ofprocessor-executable instructions, the processor-executable instructionscause the processor 120 to receive a plurality of gateway signals from aplurality of gateway devices of the vertical and horizontal array. Theprocessor 120 is caused to process the plurality of gateway signals anddetermine estimated location of the proximate wireless-enabled personallocator device 20. The processor 120 may also be caused to annotate thegraphical representation of the multi-space environment with location ofthe proximate wireless-enabled personal locator device 20, and annotatethe graphical representation of the room with the alert notification.

Referring now to FIG. 8, one embodiment of the remote server 36 as acomputing device includes a processor 136, memory 138, storage 140, andone or more network adapters 142 interconnected with various buses 144in a common or distributed, for example, mounting architecture, thatsupports inputs 146 and outputs 148. In other implementations, in thecomputing device, multiple processors and/or multiple buses may be used,as appropriate, along with multiple memories and types of memory.Further still, in other implementations, multiple computing devices maybe provided and operations distributed therebetween. The processor 136may process instructions for execution within the remote server 36,including instructions stored in the memory 138 or in storage 140. Thememory 138 stores information within the computing device. In oneimplementation, the memory 138 is a volatile memory unit or units. Inanother implementation, the memory 138 is a non-volatile memory unit orunits. Storage 140 includes capacity that is capable of providing massstorage for the remote server 36. The various inputs 146 and outputs 148provide connections to and from the remote server 36, wherein the inputs146 are the signals or data received by the remote server 36, and theoutputs 148 are the signals or data sent from the remote server 36. Thenetwork adaptor 142 couples the remote server 36 to a network such thatthe remote server may be part of a network of computers, a local areanetwork (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), an intranet, a network ofnetworks, or the Internet, for example.

The memory 138 and storage 140 are accessible to the processor 136 andinclude processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause theprocessor 136 to execute a series of operations. In one embodiment ofprocessor-executable instructions, the processor-executable instructionscause the processor 136 to receive a plurality of gateway signals from aplurality of gateway devices of the vertical and horizontal array. Theprocessor 136 is caused to process the plurality of gateway signals anddetermine estimated location of the proximate wireless-enabled personallocator device 20. The processor 136 may also be caused to annotate thegraphical representation of the multi-space environment with location ofthe proximate wireless-enabled personal locator device 20, and annotatethe graphical representation of the room with the alert notification.

FIG. 9A illustrates one embodiment of signalization and data transfer.As shown, a proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device20 transmits data packet 150, which is a beacon signal, including adevice indicator 152 and a mode of operation indicator 154. Theproximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device 20 alsotransmits data packet 156, which is a beacon signal, including a deviceindicator 158 and a mode of operation indicator 160. The data packets150, 156 are received by gateway devices; namely, set-top box STB-1 andset-top box STB-n. The gateway device STB-1 then establishes data packet162, including device indicator 152, mode of operation indicator 154,gateway device identification 164 (STB-1), and signal characteristic 166(SC-1). Similarly, the gateway device STB-n then establishes data packet168, including device indicator 158, mode of operation indicator 160,gateway device identification 170 (STB-n), and signal characteristic 172(SC-n).

The data packets 162, 168, which are gateway signals, are transmitted tothe server and the server analyzes the data packets 162, 168 anddetermines the estimated location of the proximate wireless-enabledinteractive programmable device 20. The server then sends out signal174, which includes the estimated geolocation 174 and the appropriateaction 178.

FIG. 9B depicts one embodiment of a state diagram 180 of the states ofthe system 10, which include an alert mode of operation 182, a servicerequest mode of operation 184, and a tracking/non-tracking update modeof operation 186. As will be appreciated, the modes of operation mayoverlap or, to a partial or full extent be combined. In the alert modeof operation 182, a user of a proximate wireless-enabled interactiveprogrammable device 20 may send an alert to indicate distress. In theservice request mode of operation 184, the user may send a service alongwith the location information. The tracking/non-tracking update mode ofoperation 184 indicates the level of privacy the user expects and howmuch of the location history will be saved.

FIG. 10 depicts one embodiment of the operations of the local server 32and the remote server 36 showing the connected mode 190 and the islandmode 192. As discussed, under normal conditions, the beacon signals andthe gateway signals are sent to the remote server 36, which may be acloud-based server. In this embodiment, the local sever 32 may act as amonitoring station to notify an operator about the triggered alert andinforming the operator about the alert condition. However, in the eventof no connection to the remote server 36, such as during a period oftime with no internet connectivity, the local server 32 assumes theresponsibilities of the remote server 36. For purposes of illustration,the current embodiment will be described will consider an operationalremote server 36.

FIG. 11 depicts one embodiment of a method for providing safety in ahospitality environment or other environment, according to the teachingspresented herein. At block 200, the array of gateway devices is deployedvertically and horizontally throughout the hospitality environment. Atblock 202, beacon signals are periodically transmitted from personallocator devices and received by the gateway devices.

At block 204, the beacon signals are received and processed at thegateway device. The beacon signals may include a personal locationdevice identification corresponding to the device being employed by theuser. In one embodiment, signal strength between the beacon transmissionof the set-top boxes and the common area beacons at the wireless-enabledinteractive programmable device is measured. In other embodiments, phaseangle measurements or flight time measurements may be utilized. At block206, broadcast signals are sent from the gateway devices to a serverthat is part of the geolocation and safety network. The broadcastsignals may include the personal location device identification, gatewaydevice identification, and signal characteristic indicators. At block208, the server receives and processes the broadcast signals todetermine an estimated location. At decision block 210, the server takesaction based on the mode of operation. In a first mode of operation atblock 212, a service request is associated with the location of the userutilizing the location of the personal location device such as thewireless-enabled interactive programmable device as a proxy. In a secondmode of operation at block 214, an emergency alert is sent andsubsequent notification (block 216) occurs. The emergency alert includesan indication of distress and the location of the user utilizing thelocation of the wireless-enabled interactive programmable device as aproxy. In a third mode of operation at block 218, the map of individualsis updated with the location of the user with, if privacy settings beingenabled, the system maintains the privacy of the individual working inthe hospitality environment such that the system only retains in memorythe last known position and time of the user-supplied wireless-enabledsmart and interactive programmable device. Further, in this mode ofoperation, the system does not reveal the location of the individual andprogrammable device unless and until an alert is issued.

The order of execution or performance of the methods and data flowsillustrated and described herein is not essential, unless otherwisespecified. That is, elements of the methods and data flows may beperformed in any order, unless otherwise specified, and that the methodsmay include more or less elements than those disclosed herein. Forexample, it is contemplated that executing or performing a particularelement before, contemporaneously with, or after another element are allpossible sequences of execution.

While this invention has been described with reference to illustrativeembodiments, this description is not intended to be construed in alimiting sense. Various modifications and combinations of theillustrative embodiments as well as other embodiments of the invention,will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to thedescription. It is, therefore, intended that the appended claimsencompass any such modifications or embodiments.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for providing awareness in a multi-spaceenvironment, the system comprising: a vertical and horizontal array ofgateway devices, each gateway device being positioned within a space inthe multi-space environment, each gateway device having a gateway deviceidentification providing an accurately-known fixed location; eachgateway device of the vertical and horizontal array including: ahousing, a wireless transceiver associated with the housing, a processorlocated within the housing and coupled to the wireless transceiver, amemory accessible to the processor, the memory includingprocessor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause theprocessor to: receive a beacon signal via the wireless transceiver froma proximate wireless-enabled personal locator device, the beacon signalincluding a personal locator device identification, measure a signalcharacteristic of the beacon signal, transmit a gateway signal to aserver, the gateway signal including the personal locator deviceidentification, the gateway device identification, and received signalstrength measurement; and the server located in communication with thevertical and horizontal array of gateway devices, the server including:a processor, and a memory accessible to the processor, the memoryincluding processor-executable instructions that, when executed, causethe processor to: receive a plurality of gateway signals from aplurality of gateway devices of the vertical and horizontal array,process the plurality of gateway signals, determine estimated locationof the proximate wireless-enabled personal locator device, and render amap view of the multi-space environment, the map view including agraphical representation of the multi-space environment, annotate thegraphical representation of the multi-space environment with theestimated location of the proximate wireless-enabled personal locatordevice, and update the annotation of the graphical representation of themulti-space environment with the estimated location of the proximatewireless-enabled personal locator device as the proximatewireless-enabled personal locator device moves.
 2. The system as recitedin claim 1, wherein the wireless transceiver is configured tocommunicate with a standard selected from the group consisting ofinfrared (IR), 802.11, 3G, 4G, Edge, WiFi, ZigBee, near fieldcommunications (NFC), Bluetooth and Bluetooth low energy.
 3. The systemas recited in claim 1, wherein the gateway device further comprises aplurality of wireless transceivers.
 4. The system as recited in claim 1,wherein the gateway device further comprises a set-top box.
 5. Thesystem as recited in claim 1, wherein the gateway device furthercomprises a common space gateway device.
 6. The system as recited inclaim 1, wherein the gateway device further comprises a gateway servicedevice.
 7. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the proximatewireless-enabled personal locator device further comprises a singlebutton personal locator device.
 8. The system as recited in claim 1,wherein the proximate wireless-enabled personal locator device furthercomprises a proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device.9. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein the proximatewireless-enabled interactive programmable device further comprises adevice selected from the group consisting of smart watches, smartphones, and tablet computers.
 10. The system as recited in claim 1,wherein the server further comprises a back-office hotel server incommunication with the vertical and horizontal array of gateway devices.11. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the server furthercomprises a cloud-based server in communication with the vertical andhorizontal array of gateway devices.
 12. The system as recited claim 1,wherein the system further comprises an operational mode selected fromthe group consisting of alerts-enabled, service request-enabled,tracking-enabled, and non-tracking-enabled.
 13. The system as recited inclaim 12, wherein in the alerts-enabled mode, the server receives adistress signal from the proximate wireless-enabled personal locatordevice.
 14. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein in theservice-request-enabled mode, the server receives a service request fromthe proximate wireless-enabled personal locator device.
 15. The systemas recited in claim 12, wherein in the tracking-enabled mode, the servermaintains in memory a plurality of estimated locations with timestampsassociated with the proximate wireless-enabled personal locator device.16. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein in thenon-tracking-enabled mode, the server maintains in memory only the lastknown locations with timestamps associated with the proximatewireless-enabled personal locator device.
 17. A system for providingawareness in a multi-space environment, the system comprising: an arrayof gateway devices, each gateway device being positioned within a spacein the multi-space environment, each gateway device having a gatewaydevice identification providing an accurately-known fixed location; eachgateway device of the array including: a housing, a wireless transceiverassociated with the housing, a processor located within the housing andcoupled to the wireless transceiver, a memory accessible to theprocessor, the memory including processor-executable instructions that,when executed, cause the processor to: receive a beacon signal via thewireless transceiver from a proximate wireless-enabled personal locatordevice, the beacon signal including a personal locator deviceidentification, measure a signal characteristic of the beacon signal,transmit a gateway signal to a server, the gateway signal including thepersonal locator device identification, the gateway deviceidentification, and received signal strength measurement; and the serverlocated in communication with the vertical and horizontal array ofgateway devices, the server including: a processor, and a memoryaccessible to the processor, the memory including processor-executableinstructions that, when executed, cause the processor to: receive aplurality of gateway signals from a plurality of gateway devices of thearray, process the plurality of gateway signals, determine estimatedlocation of the proximate wireless-enabled personal locator device,render a map view of the multi-space environment, the map view includinga graphical representation of the multi-space environment, annotate thegraphical representation of the multi-space environment with theestimated location of the proximate wireless-enabled personal locatordevice, and update the annotation of the graphical representation of themulti-space environment with the estimated location of the proximatewireless-enabled personal locator device as the proximatewireless-enabled personal locator device moves.
 18. The system asrecited claim 17, wherein the system further comprises an operationalmode selected from the group consisting of alerts-enabled, servicerequest-enabled, tracking-enabled, and non-tracking-enabled.
 19. Asystem for providing awareness in a multi-space environment, the systemcomprising: an array of gateway devices, each gateway device beingpositioned within a space in the multi-space environment, each gatewaydevice having a gateway device identification providing anaccurately-known fixed location; each gateway device of the vertical andhorizontal array including: a housing, a wireless transceiver associatedwith the housing, a processor located within the housing and coupled tothe wireless transceiver, a memory accessible to the processor, thememory including processor-executable instructions that, when executed,cause the processor to: receive a beacon signal via the wirelesstransceiver from a proximate wireless-enabled personal locator device,the beacon signal including a personal locator device identification,measure a signal characteristic of the beacon signal, transmit a gatewaysignal to a server, the gateway signal including the personal locatordevice identification, the gateway device identification, and receivedsignal strength measurement; and the server located in communicationwith the array of gateway devices, the server including: a processor,and a memory accessible to the processor, the memory includingprocessor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause theprocessor to: receive a plurality of gateway signals from a plurality ofgateway devices of the array, process the plurality of gateway signals,determine estimated location of the proximate wireless-enabled personallocator device, activate an alert notification, render a map view of themulti-space environment, the map view including a graphicalrepresentation of the multi-space environment, annotate the graphicalrepresentation of the multi-space environment with the estimatedlocation of the proximate wireless-enabled personal locator device,annotate the graphical representation of the multi-space environmentwith the alert notification, and update the annotation of the graphicalrepresentation of the multi-space environment with the estimatedlocation of the proximate wireless-enabled personal locator device asthe proximate wireless-enabled personal locator device moves.
 20. Thesystem as recited claim 19, wherein the system further comprises anoperational mode selected from the group consisting of alerts-enabled,service request-enabled, tracking-enabled, and non-tracking-enabled.